Olivia Newport and Free Books!

Annie Freisen’s life-changing journey continues as she joins the Amish church, tests the limits of her plain life, and waits patiently on Rufus.

Before we visit today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the signed copy of Love Finds Faith, by Martha Rogers, is:

underwood_denise@ . . .

Congratulations! I'll email you today to get your mailing address, and we'll get your book to you right away. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to participate in future book give-aways! Subscribers are entered a second time when they comment.

Remember to enter your email address when you comment, as described in today's drawing information, below. If you win the drawing but haven't left your email address, I can't contact you!

Now let's meet novelist Olivia Newport, author of Taken for English (Barbour, February 2014). Tell us about yourself, Olivia.

My stories twist through time to find where faith and passion meet. My books include the Avenue of Dreams series set in 1890s Chicago, and the Valley of Choice series, set in southwestern Colorado with intertwining contemporary and historical story lines.

My husband and two twentysomething children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through my head on their way into my books.

I chase joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where daylilies grow as tall as I am. Whenever I can, I swing in a hammock on the back patio with a good book in my lap and the sun on my skin. (And a little dark chocolate never hurts, either.)

Please tell us three random things we might not know about you.

-- My dentist and I finally agreed that I would not miss that troublesome tooth and pulled it.

-- I recently discovered that I enjoy long solo drives on the Interstate.

-- I use a recliner as a desk chair. Works for me!

I made that discovery about long solo drives this past year, too, Olivia! If I have a really good book on CD, I find it's a terrific break.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Taken for English.

Annie joined the Amish church based on prayerful conviction, not romantic dreams. And yet, she can’t deny she’d hoped to share her new, plain life with Rufus. Neither can she deny that his ways are nothing like the fast-paced culture she left behind—Rufus is obviously in no hurry. When he makes unexpected choices about his work, Annie wonders if he has lost interest in the love that sparked between them.

While arson threatens trust in the peaceful southwestern Colorado valley nestling Westcliffe, Annie resolves to keep a confused Amish teenage girl from decisions that could bring down her future. Ruth, Rufus’s sister, is Annie’s temporary roommate while she navigates the muddy waters of shifting family relationships, career choices, and an irresistible romance with the persistent Elijah Capp.

Family history clearly shows it’s never been easy living a plain life in the English world. Will the changes and challenges Annie now faces as a young Amish woman test her newfound faith in good ways or bad? And how long will Rufus test her patience?

Why will readers care about Annie?

This story is the third and last in a series, so readers who have been following Annie's romance with Rufus will finally know if they found their way to each other once and for all. Readers just now meeting Annie will identify with her journey to learn what it means to consider drastic changes in her life—including discovering her own compassionate heart underneath all that determination.

What is one of your favorite opening lines from a novel?

“It was dark where she was crouched but the little girl did as she’d been told.” ( The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton)

 I like this like because you can tell from this one line that the entire story, which spans decades, is going to turn on that little girl’s obedience—and it does.

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

I recommend When Mockingbirds Sing by Billy Coffey, which I just finished recently. He writes with sensitivity and insight about the tender places where convictions and questions of faith may collide and give us surprising answers if we’re open to hearing them.

What are you working on now?

I'm in the middle of a very fun creative challenge—a direct-to-digital serialized novel called Hidden Falls. This has been releasing one episode per week, and we're about halfway through the "season" of 13 episodes. I'm only writing a few episodes ahead of what readers are reading, so it's a different dynamic than writing and editing a complete novel before anyone sees it! Then I will be working on final edits of Wonderful Lonesome, an historical Amish novel set in 1914. That will release in late summer to launch the Amish Turns of Time series.

I can't imagine doing that serialization type of writing. I would struggle with releasing it before the entire book was finished and edited several times. Very gutsy of you.

Where else can readers find you online?

www.olivianewport.com
Facebook
@olivianewport
and on Google+


The book can be purchased in fine book stores and online via the following buttons:




CBD.com


Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

If you are—or wish you were—in a book discussion group, what would an ideal meeting be like?

Thanks, Olivia, for visiting with us and telling us about your novel. Readers, Olivia has offered to give a signed copy of her book to the winner of our drawing on Monday, February 10. To enter, leave a comment below in answer to Olivia's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Be sure to check out my interview with Donita K. Paul , below. Leave an appropriate comment at the bottom of the post to enter the drawing for a signed copy of the books.

Also, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer HERE.